Pictures of You
by BeccaBo73
Summary: Danny's former flame is now Hollywood's hottest leading actress. When scandalous pictures of her are published, it brings the two former lovers back into each other's lives. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Well here is my next offering! This one is a bit different...I have been too brain dead to come up with a case for the team, so I am making this more of a Danny romance-centered fic.

As usual, I don't own any of the Without A Trace characters.

The main female character in this fic is another new creation of mine...Kassia James, whom Danny fondly calls "Jimmy". Danny and Kassia dated while he was in law school (I don't know which law school he went to, so I am pretending it was in NYC) and she was a struggling actress. She broke his heart when she left him for the bright lights of Hollywood. While he worked his way up the F.B.I. ladder, Kassia became a Hollywood sensation. I'm imagining a Julia Roberts or Nicole Kidman type...famous, A-lister who can really act! Kassia has just left L.A. and returned to her hometown of New York City as this story unfolds.

One more tidbit you need to know...I've given Danny a hidden talent. Photography!

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**Pictures of You**

**Chapter One - Vultures**

"Kassia! Kassia! Just one question, Kassia!"

The vultures. Now they were camped outside of her apartment building. She had seen them as soon as her car turned the corner onto the downtown Manhattan street where she had just purchased every girl's dream New York apartment. It was bad enough that they were camped out outside the studio everyday and followed her to the market and out to dinner, but now they were invading her inner sanctuary. So much for the right to privacy.

"Run them over, Clyde." Kassia muttered to her driver as he grinned at her. Navigating the car so that he wouldn't hit anyone, Clyde managed to pull up to the curb outside her building without smashing a single camera. "Great," she teased him. "Of all the driver's in New York, I had to get the one with a conscience."

Clyde turned and grinned at her. "Sorry, Ms. James. But I like my job." He glanced out the window of the car, now blocked with paparazzi trying to get a picture of her through the tinted windows. "But never fear, here comes the calvary."

Kassia looked in the same direction as Clyde and saw her doorman, Manny, and a New York City police officer making their way through the masses. Manny opened the door and poked his head into the back seat. "Welcome home, kid."

"I'm sorry, Manny." Kassia said, apologetically. "How long have they been here?"

"A few have been here sniffing around for over an hour, but the majority didn't get here until about ten minutes before you did." Seeing the worried look on her face, Manny teased, "I thought you promised to be a low maintenance tenant?"

Thankful for his teasing tone, Kassia shot back, "Manny, you work as a door man at one of the hottest new apartment buildings in lower Manhattan. If you were looking for low maintenance tenants, you should have taken a job at a Holiday Inn in New Jersey."

"And miss out on the tips I make from all the multi-millionaire residents here? Not on your life." Manny said, grinning again. "Besides, this gives me a chance to summon up the skills I used to use as a bouncer in Brooklyn." He nodded at the cop standing beside him and said, "My cousin, Luis, is here to help us out. Ready?" Manny extended his hand. Kassia took a deep breath and braced herself for the mad dash to her building's front door.

Kassia took Manny's strong hand and thought she heard Clyde say good luck as she was pulled out into the masses gathered between her and her sanctuary. "Kassia! Over here, Kassia! Just one more picture, Ms. James! C'mon gorgeous, give us that 'Come here, baby' smile that you gave to your mystery photographer!"

She saw the white hot blast of the flashbulbs and heard the repeated clicking of the camera shutters as Manny and Luis maneuvered her through the throngs of scandal hungry paparazzi into the safety of the lobby. Once they were through the main doors, Manny ushered her into a waiting elevator and out of the vulture's sight.

"You've definitely earned your money today!" Kassia said to Manny, giving him a big hug.

"I'll be expecting your thanks in small bills...tens and twenties." Manny winked at her. "My landlord might be suspicious if I started paying him with hundred dollar bills."

"Not a problem, Manny." Looking to where Luis remained outside trying to calm down the masses, Kassia said, "Thank Luis for me, too." Manny nodded and pressed the button for her penthouse. As the elevator doors closed, Kassia leaned back against the dark wood paneling and closed her eyes.

Those damn pictures.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - Out of the Past**

_About one week before the events of Chapter One_

The startling phone call had come in from her publicist just a few days before. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you had nude pictures floating around out there?" He had screamed into her ear.

"Well, hello to you too, Adam. Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, do you mind telling me what you are talking about?" Kassia shifted her cell phone to her other ear and continued sorting through the paint samples her decorator had sent her for her living room.

"Nudes! Of you! On the cover of The Enquirer." He shouted, not stopping to take a breath.

"That's ridiculous," she had scoffed. "I've never posed for nude pictures in my life..."

Kassia'svoice trailed off as her mind wandered back to a different time...

_Kassia stirred lazily in her sleep and a satisfied smile came to her lips as she felt his lips brushing over her bare shoulder. She loved the feel of his rough morning stubble against her bare skin. Followed by the heat of his breath and the whisper kiss of his soft lips. She opened her eyes and turned to face him, allowing her lips to experience the same pleasure as the shoulder he had been kissing had just encountered._

"_Did I wake you?" Danny teased, as their lips parted after a long, sexy kiss. She murmured something unintelligible and then buried her face in his neck, softly kissing her way down until she came to rest on his strong, broad chest. She happily laid her head against that chest and he stroked the long strands of her hair. Oh, the things she did to every one of his senses. _

"_I can't believe that we actually have an entire day off together. I don't have to be at the theater until six o'clock and you have no more boring case files to pour over." she finally said, smoothing her cheek against his skin. They had celebrated Danny's graduation from law school the night before and he promised to take at least one day off before he resumed studying for his bar exam. "It would be terrible to waste all of it...not that I consider this anything close to being a waste." She traced small circles in the smattering of hair on his chest as he mimicked her movements with the hand that had come to rest on the small of her back. "Shall we go riding? Maybe take a picnic out by the river?" She loved it when he took her for a ride on his motorcycle. She felt so alive. Just the two of them...the wind whipping through her hair, her arms wrapped tightly around him as they explored the beauty of New York City _

"_Actually, I have a different idea." Danny paused for a moment before continuing with, "I want to take your picture."_

_Kassia smiled and teased, "Should I dress up in one of those old timey Victorian dresses? With at least 8 layers of material and ten times as many little buttons." The next image that came into her head made her laugh out loud. "Or maybe as a wild woman of the amazon. I could tangle some leaves in my hair and wear one of those barely there animal skins..."_

"_I was thinking more along the lines of you not being dressed at all." His words were slow and quiet, but their intent was quite clear. "To inspire me while you're in L.A."_

_Her hand stilled on his chest and it took her a moment to look up at him. When she did, the question and uncertainty in her eyes was mixed with a certain excitement. It wasn't that she was afraid to pose for him. Or that she was ashamed of her body. She always felt so beautiful when she was with Danny, no matter what she was wearing. "I..."_

_It was if he sensed her hesitation and the reasons behind it. Danny's face immediately softened and he stroked her cheek. The look on his face and the tone in his voice as he said, "Trust me." eased any fears she may have had._

_She was right to trust him. Posing for him made her feel more like a woman than she ever had before. When he stood above her on the bed to photograph her entangled in his sheets, she felt sexy and romantic. But that was nothing compared to the sex appeal that surged through her when she posed in one of Danny's shirts...and a funky fedora hat that had belonged to his father. The feel of his crisp cotton shirt against her bare skin and the musky scent of him did things to her that she thought only his touch could. He loved the way she smiled seductively at him and casually shook her hair back free of her face, her femininity a perfect contrast to the masculine outfit. With each pose, she released any inhibitions she may have had about posing nude. _

_He chuckled at her as she blew bubbles at him from the tub, breaking through the intense look on his face as he combined his two passions...photography and her. And he in turn sent erotic shivers down her spine when he brushed her hair off her shoulder and re-positioned her breast so that they were just barely covered by her forearms as she posed on the rug in front of his fireplace._

"_You, my dear, are a natural. Are you sure you haven't done this before?" he asked, coming up behind her and sliding his hands around her waist as she stirred the pasta sauce she was cooking on the stove. He nuzzled his face into her hair, brushing it aside with his lips until they found their intended target...her neck. He loved the way she looked in his shirt._

"Kassia! The pictures! Where the hell did they come from?" Adam's booming voice dragged her back to the reality of the situation at hand.

"They were never supposed to be seen." She whispered. What the hell was going on? Her mind was racing.

Her relationship with Danny had been over for years. She had left Danny and New York a few weeks after their "photo session" to accept a small role in a blockbuster movie, with every intent on coming back when it was over. But fate had intervened. The director had been impressed by her work and mentioned her to Steven Spielberg, who was in the middle of casting for his new film. Spielberg called, Kassia accepted, and the rest of the story was the stuff Hollywood movies were made of. Kassia's beauty and talent, showcased in a Spielberg masterpiece, caused her to become an overnight sensation and the offers for film roles kept rolling in. She rose up through the acting ranks faster than anyone had imagined and became Hollywood's new "IT" girl. Because of her sudden fame, Kassia was constantly shuffling around from movie set to movie set and her trips home to New York, and Danny, became fewer and farther between. Feeling neglected, Danny finally walked away from their year long romance.

Despite their break-up, Kassia couldn't imagine that he harbored any hard feelings toward her. He knew when they met that her dream was to conquer Hollywood some day and that chance had suddenly fallen into her lap. He had said that he understood.

So, how could he have done this to her? They were the only two people in this world who knew those pictures existed. And he had been adamant about keeping their relationship a secret so that it wouldn't interfere with the integrity he was trying to build in his career with the F.B.I. She never dreamed that he would sell them to a tabloid. He wasn't like that.

Had she been so wrong about him? No. She couldn't have possibly been that wrong about him.

"Who took them?" Adam demanded and Kassia hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do. "Kassia, dammit! I can't fix this if you don't tell me the truth! Let me do my job!" He was really angry now, but Kassia was on the verge of tears. She had guarded her privacy so closely throughout her career and now he was telling her that she was half naked on the cover of a tabloid.

Her home phone began to ring at that moment and Kassia knew instantly that the publicity nightmare was about to begin. "Hang on, Adam. My other line is ringing."

She ran over to where the phone was ringing next to the sofa as he yelled into her ear, "Don't answer it! It's going to be the press. Don't you dare answer that phone before I get a chance to do some damage control." Kassia only half heard him as she looked down at the number that was flashing at her from her caller ID box.

"Adam, I have to take this call. I'll call you back."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - Memories**

_F.B.I. Headquarters: Missing Persons Division_

There was never much down time in the Missing Person's Divison so when there actually were a few spare moments, most of the agents didn't really know what to do. Of course, there were always files to organize and paperwork to do. But on this particular afternoon, nothing seemed to be too urgent. There were no open case files and Agent Danny Taylor was walking around the building aimlessly.

He came back into the familiar surroundings of the bullpen and saw that his co-workers Samantha Spade, Martin Fitzgerald, and Vivian Johnson were all huddled over Samantha's desk looking at something. Joining the party, Danny asked, "What's up?"

Martin grinned and said, "The latest edition of The Enquirer found it's way into the lounge. And this issue makes for some interesting reading."

Danny shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you guys actually read that trash."

Danny began to walk away when Sam said, "I usually don't, but I am such a big fan of Kassia James' that I had to see these pictures for myself."

He stopped dead in his tracks. _Kassia James_. Jimmy. Simply hearing her name could cause his blood pressure to raise several degrees. Pasting on a look of casual aloofness, Danny turned around. "What pictures?" He asked.

"Nudes." Vivian and Samantha replied at the same time and then laughed at each other.

"What?" Danny was shocked as he headed over to Sam's desk. He looked down at the open magazine on her desk and couldn't believe what he was seeing. His Kassia. His pictures. In a magazine. What had she done?

"God, she's in great shape." Vivian mused with a smile. "Look at those legs."

"And those abs. God!" Samantha joined in. "But she looks so young. These can't be current pictures. The hair is all wrong."

"I thought her career is going so well. Why would she need to pose for sexy pictures?" Martin asked. "She certainly doesn't need the publicity."

"Her career is soaring." Sam answered. "She's the biggest thing in Hollywood right now. She's got an Oscar and several Golden Globes on her shelf and scripts from the biggest directors on the planet for a little light reading."

"This is The Enquirer, remember." Vivian said. "They could be doctored photos. You know, her head on someone else's body." She looked down at the pictures again and shook her head. "Although, usually you can see where they cut and pasted the pictures. These look real."

"They are." Danny said suddenly. The conversation between his co-workers seemed to be going on over his head and he barely heard any of it. So, he was surprised to hear his own voice.

The other three turned to look at him and Danny had to back track fast. "I mean, they look real. Viv's right...they don't seem to have been doctored."

"Stop drooling, loverboy." Vivian teased, looking at Danny like she didn't quite believe him. "They've blocked out her most private areas..."

"But definitely left enough for the imagination." Martin grinned, prompting Sam to smack him.

Vivian looked down at the magazine again. "They're good photos, actually. I mean, not sleazy at all. She looks beautiful in them."

"She looks like she's in love." Sam mused. "I bet the photographer was some secret lover and he took those pictures as a romantic gesture. I mean, look at her. She just oozes happiness."

"But then why would she sell them to a sleazy tabloid?" Martin wanted to know.

"Maybe **he** sold them. I mean, Kassia James is too classy to ever use something like this to further her career. And she doesn't need to. But maybe she went through a messy break up." Sam mused, cocking her head to one side as she played the story out in her head. "She keeps a tight lid on her personal life, so no one really knows who she's dating."

"She just moved to New York. Maybe to get away from the guy after things went bad?" Vivian joined in.

"And he sold the pictures to get back at her for breaking his heart." Samantha concluded, grinning at Vivian.

"You make it sound like you know this woman." Martin teased the two women he worked with. They were usually so level headed and practical. It was almost comical that a movie star they had never met could make them behave so dreamy and silly.

"I've seen every interview she's ever given and I would like to know her. And there never seems to be anything bad written about her, which is why these photos are such a big deal." Sam said. "She seems so down to earth, not stuck up. I think she's fabulous..."

"I have to make a phone call." Danny said suddenly, turning and leaving the group.

Martin, Sam and Viv watched him walk away and then turned to look at each other. "What's with him?" Martin wanted to know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four - The First Phone Call**

"You'd better have a damn good explanation for why my half naked body is splashed across a supermarket tabloid!"

The venom in her voice almost made him wince. He knew she was going to be angry, but he hadn't expected her to unload the full force of her temper at his feet. "I'm sorry." was all that Danny could whisper into the telephone receiver.

"You're sorry? That's it? I have reporters camped outside the studio, my dry cleaners, and now my apartment building...but it's a comfort to me to know that you're sorry!" Kassia was livid at his apology and she ignored the shock of passion that shot through her at the sound of his voice. The fact that he could still do that to her made her even angrier. She knew she had to calm down. Being angry at him was not going to get her anywhere. "How could you do this to me?" she whispered.

"I didn't, Jimmy. I swear I didn't." She had no reason to believe him, but he had to let her know that her trust in him was not misplaced. He would never have compromised the beauty of those pictures and that time in their lives by selling them to a sleazy tabloid.

"Well who did?" She questioned him, accusingly. "You and I are the only two people who even know they existed. We're the only ones who have copies...except now for The Enquirer."

"I have an idea, but I haven't confirmed anything yet." He practically spit the words out.

"Don't play F.B.I. super agent with me, Danny! Tell me who it is." Kassia demanded into the phone.

"Are you sitting down?" Danny took a deep breath and began to tell her the story that started in his apartment two weeks ago. Actually, it started long before that, but culminated in his apartment. "I was seeing this young woman," he began, stressing the word _young_, "and it ended badly. I mean, really badly. But before it ended, she saw the pictures."

"You showed them to her?" Kassia was incredulous.

"No, I did not. I absolutely did not." Danny protested, closing his eyes. This was not going to be easy. "She found them."

"She found them?" Kassia repeated, her anger getting ready to boil over.

Danny continued, "She works for a local magazine. She was looking through some of my work one day and got curious. I guess she began snooping and found them in my studio."

"Nice girl." Kassia replied sarcastically.

"She is a big fan of yours, Jimmy. She was impressed that I knew you well enough to have taken those pictures..." Danny began, but Kassia cut him off.

"And you told her? To impress some little twit?" Kassia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "After all these years? And after all those speeches you gave me about not wanting this whole thing to get out? You're an idiot, Danny. She must have been a really good piece of ass."

Danny winced at that last comment. Kassia was pissed. Really pissed. He had never heard her this angry and he had no excuse for his actions. And the story was only going to get worse. He took a deep breath and started again, "In a million years, Jimmy, I could never have anticipated what she did next." He paused. "I don't know when exactly, but it had to have been some time after I dumped her and before she returned my key. She must have gone into my private studio and..."

"She stole the pictures." Kassia finished for him, no emotion in her voice. "And sold them to the tabloids."

He quietly continued with the awful story. "I didn't even know what had happened until someone told me today that they were published. One of my co-workers thought that it might have been one of your ex-lovers getting revenge on you and I realized what might have happened. I went right home and, as I suspected, my copies were gone."

"How could they publish them? They were stolen!" The realization of what happened was slowly hitting her. Hitting like a ton of bricks.

"The publisher didn't know that." Danny hated the pain in her voice. He couldn't believe this had happened. He never believed that Cynthia would go to such extremes to get back at him.

"Are they going to arrest her? For stealing them from you, I mean?" Kassia asked. "You are F.B.I., after all. Can't you bring a federal indictment against her?"

"I'll take care of it." Danny assured her, grinning as he imagined the revenge scenarios playing out in her head.

"Don't you dare patronize me, Danny Taylor." She warned. " I haven't even seen the magazine, yet. I just got off the phone with my agent. Literally, just got off the phone."

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, I really am." What else could he say?

Her mind was racing now, barely hearing his apology on the other end. "Have they at least blurred out my breasts and..."

"Yes." He answered quickly, knowing where her thoughts must be taking her. God, he hated this for her. "They wouldn't have been able to publish them any other way. But if someone got hold of them on the internet, you won't be afforded that protection."

"Oh God." Kassia leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. She needed a drink. "Did she tell the magazine that you took them?" she asked quietly, almost helplessly.

"I don't know. Cynthia won't return my phone calls." He replied, leaning back on his bed and closing his eyes. This was going to turn into the nightmare he had tried his entire career to avoid.

"Cynthia? Is that her name?"

"Yes."

"I prefer '_Bitch_', if it's all the same to you." Kassia quipped. She got up off the couch and walked over to the mini-bar. Peter kept it pretty well stocked and..._Peter_. Oh God. How was she going to tell Peter about this?

"Sounds good to me." Danny chuckled warmly on the other end of the phone.

Kassia poured herself a drink and downed it in one gulp. Hearing what was happening on her end of the phone line, Danny asked, "Gin?"

Kassia grinned, unable to stop herself. He had always known her so well. "Scotch." she answered and he could hear the smile in her voice. It made him feel a little bit better. "What would make her do something like this?" she wanted to know next.

"I don't know, Jimmy." He sighed deeply and continued, "I never even saw this coming. I mean, I knew she was angry at me. But this borders on psycho."

"Danny, you really have to start dating a better class of woman." Kassia teased.

"You ruined me for any woman of real substance." He replied quietly, unable to stop himself.

"So, this is all my fault then?" Kassia teased, trying to keep the conversation light. She heard the tone of his voice and didn't think she could handle any old feelings right now. Kassia sat back down on the sofa, a fresh drink in her hand. "Danny, what are we going to do?"

"Maybe it will die down in a few days." He told her, wishing he sounded more hopeful than he felt. "You remember how this town works. Someone out there is really pissed today that you stole their headline. Tomorrow there will be another story and someone else doing something for attention. New York has always had a permanent case of ADHD."

"I hope you're right."


	5. Chapter 5

**This next section is dedicated to my Ya-Ya girls: Amy C., Katie, Jenny, and Sarah! The best friends a girl could have! I believe they would say many of the things in this fic to me if I had naked pictures on the internet!**

* * *

**Chapter Five - You've Gotta Have Friends**

Things didn't die down. If possible, they got worse. Not only were the pictures the story, but nowKassia's relationship with an F.B.I. agent was tabloid fodder. Kassia was the butt of all the jokes on the late night talk shows and the press scrutiny was worse than ever. It was a nightmare.

"Well, what did you expect when you posed for naked pictures? I mean, God, Kash. You didn't just fall off the turnip truck, you know. This is New York. Things like that never stay secret." Kassia's closest group of girlfriends had converged on her apartment for some damage control of their own. Armed with pizzas, wine, and every form of chocolate dessert they could get their hands on, Amy, Katie, and Jenny swooped in for an all night session of girl talk. Katie, that one friend who always told the truth no matter how much it hurt, was sprawled out on the carpet munching on a slice of pizza and grinning at Kassia. Once she was sure that Kassia was going to survive all of this, she found the situation a bit comical.

"Yeah, Kash. Think about it this way." Amy piped up from the sofa, where she was sitting with Kassia's dog, Riley, on her lap. She grinned, before saying, "In some cases, they make people's careers. Look at Paris Hilton. Most people thought of that name as just some hotel in France before she began dancing on tables and having sex on the internet."

Kassia finished the last bit of her wine. "If you're trying to cheer me up, comparing me to Paris Hilton is not the best way to go." Kassia grimaced and threw her pizza crust at Amy. She missed and hit Riley, who didn't even stir. Laughing at her lazy dog, Kassia said quietly, "Besides, that's not what this was. This was different."

Jenny grinned at her and offered her a drag off her cigarette, before refilling Kassia's wine glass. When Kassia refused the cigarette , Jenny laughed and told her, "You'll take up smoking before this is all over, trust me."

Katie was not going to let this drop. She was in crisis mode...exactly where she liked to be. "You can tell yourself that this is different all you want, but it's not. Naked pictures are naked pictures."

"C'mon, Kate. You know that's not true. These were not your run of the mill naked pictures." Jenny rushed to Kassia's defense. "She didn't do this to gain publicity. They were taken in the security of her relationship with Danny. In the privacy of their bedroom. She didn't know that he would betray her."

"He didn't betray me." Kassia said softly, casting a reassuring look in Jenny's direction.

"And those pictures were beautiful. Not sleaze that normally makes it into the tabloids." Amy interjected. "I still can't believe you didn't show them to us, Kash. He's really a talented photographer."

Kassia smiled her agreement and said, "A girl's gotta have some secrets to call her own."

"Isn't that against the Ya-Ya code?" Jenny teased playfully.

Katie grinned, "Yes I believe it is, but I'll have to check the book when I get home." Katie leaned over and examined the contents of the pizza boxes that were scattered all over the floor. After deciding on a slice of pepperoni, she continued, "Well, I guess the lesson we all take away from this is to never let someone with an angry ex take naked pictures of you." She winked at Kassiaa and took a gooey bite of pizza.

"How was I supposed to know back then that Danny's latest girlfriend would go nuts and do this?" Kassia protested, leaning over to help herself to another slice as well.

"Because all exes are nuts! That's why they are exes!" Katie said a bit loudly, startling Riley awake from his nap.

"So, according to that theory, we're not supposed to date any men who have an ex out there somewhere?" Amy wanted to know, feeding Riley the pizza crust that Kassia had thrown at her earlier. "That rules out all of the men in the world over the age of 14."

"Not with kids these days." Jenny piped in. " They start dating as young as nine."

"You're really quite comforting, you know that?" Kassia remarked slyly.

"Speaking of men over the age of 14, what did Peter have to say about all of this?" As Katie mentioned the name of Kassia's boyfriend, the room got quiet.

"Peter is conveniently in Sydney for another two days." Kassia replied, not wanting to look any of them in the eye. She was not looking forward to this conversation with Peter.

"They have the internet in Australia, Kash. The pictures are already circulating." Amy said quietly. "If you think this story hasn't found him there, you're naive."

Before any of the rest of them could respond, they heard yelling from outside the front window. "Why don't you just go home, you bottom feeders? I bet there's actual news happening somewhere out there in this city tonight! Try reporting that for a change!"

Kassia and the girls began to dissolve into giggles. "Sarah-bear's here."

The elevator doors opened and a blond bundle of energy burst into the living room. Sarah turned around and made a face. "Vultures! This is insane, Kassia! Can't you get a restraining order or something?"

"We're working on it." Katie, the attorney, responded for Kassia.

"Work faster. She can't live like this." Sarah retorted, prompting Katie to stick her tongue out at her. "Sorry I'm late. Matt didn't get home until just now and I couldn't find a sitter for the kids at the last minute." She accepted the glass of wine Jenny poured her and reached down to greet Riley, who had finally found a reason to get off the couch. "So," she asked, sitting down next to Kassia and kissing her cheek, "what did I miss?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Lots of hysterics and crying. We had to keep Kassia from slitting her wrist with my nail file." Amy joked, getting up off the couch and going into the kitchen to rummage through the chocolate buffet.

"Crying and hysterics. I had that at home with the kids." Sarah remarked, checking out the pizza boxes. "I'm here for the juicy stuff!"

"What juicy stuff?" Kassia wanted to know.

"Has he called you?" Sarah asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Ooh, wait for me!" Amy cried, rushing in from the kitchen with a bakery box, a cake server, and some plates. "Oh no, Riley. You stay out of here. Chocolate's not good for dogs." She nudged Riley's curious nose out of the way and began to serve up the cake.

"And besides, this is from Kaplan's bakery. Too good for doggies!" Kassia said, taking a big slice of the chocolate cake that Amy offered her. "God, I'm never going to fit into my clothes after all of this!"

"Oh, shut up skinny. Now, what did Danny say when he called?" Katie wanted to know.

Kassia savored her cake, before saying, "Not much really. He explained what had happened with that Cynthia bitch and the magazine. He apologized over and over."

"Well, of course he did. But did the sound of his voice bring back any good memories?" Jenny's eyes were sparkling now too, with mischief.

Kassia blushed and the girls cackled with laughter. She couldn't hide from them the truth about Danny's voice sending shivers down her spine.

"You know," Katie said, eyeing her sneakily, "They say you never really get over your first true love. Especially when it was a sexy and mysterious Latin lover."

Sarah was laughing at the pink color creeping into Kassia's cheeks as Jenny whistled and said, "Do you guys remember the story about Danny and Kassia skinny dipping in that secluded swimming hole in Hawaii during spring break? With the waterfall? God I was so jealous of you after hearing that story!"

"Wait! What?" Amy protested, looking confused. "I've never heard that story."

"I told you that story!" Kassia said, looking pointedly at her. When Amy shook her head, Kassia began the story again. "He took me to Hawaii for some kind of conference he had to go to. He worked practically the entire time, so to make it up to me one day we took a picnic out to this secluded spot..."

The friends gossiped and laughed long into the night. If she had to go through this, Kassia was glad she could go through it with her friends by her side.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six - Obsessed Fans**

_F.B.I. Headquarters - Missing Persons Division_

Danny was just searching for a little peace and quiet. A place where he could work and not have to hear about Kassia James or the stories about their relationship. Why did everyone have such a hard time leaving the past in the past? Everywhere he went, people were whispering or casting sideways looks at him. He knew they were just dying to ask him what it was like to have been in love with Kassia James.

And none were worse than his so-called friends Sam and Vivian. Even Martin liked to have a few laughs at his expense. But he knew that whatever he was going through, it was nothing compared to what Kassia was having to endure.

"Which picture do you think we should send them?" Sam asked, a little too loud, as Danny came back into the bullpen and sat down at his computer. "The one from last years Christmas party or the one used on his ID badge?"

"Would you give it a rest already?" Danny muttered, shaking his head.

Vivian smiled and said, "The press wants a picture of the mysterious Danny Taylor, personal photographer to Kassia James. We're only trying to give the people what they want."

"Here it is! Hot off the presses." Martin came into the bullpen holding up the latest copy of People magazine with a picture of Kassia on the cover. The headline read **Kassia's Secret Life**.

"Oooh! Give it here!" Sam said, practically jumping out of her chair and swiping the magazine from Martin's hands.

"Don't you three have some sort of work you should be doing?" Danny mumbled, never taking his eyes off of his computer screen. He knew that ignoring them would not help, but he certainly wasn't going to encourage them by taking part in their ridiculous conversation.

Martin looked around at Viv and Sam, then smirked and said, "Nope."

"Here it is." Sam said, flipping through the pages of the magazine until she found the article that went along with the cover story. She cleared her throat and began to read, "_From where Kassia James is sitting life has always been good. She is an award winning, multi million dollar earning Hollywood actress, sought after by the most accomplished directors in town. She is the head of her own production company, Greenlight Productions, and her name is known all over the world. What more could she want? Well, these days, it seems she only wants a little bit of privacy. But she is a celebrity in the twenty first century. Thanks to the media there isn't a single thing a celebrity can hide. Their dirty laundry dries in public. Skeletons don't hide in closets for very long and the past never stays forgotten. But that doesn't quite fit for our girl. For even the world's most famous actress, who takes great pains to insure that her private life stays private, is not immune to the media's intrusion into a past that she couldn't keep hidden_."

"I'm not going to listen to anymore of this. I'm getting some coffee." Danny said suddenly, pushing back his chair and standing up. The look on his face told his trio of co-workers that he had finally had enough.

"Aw, come on Danny. We're just having some fun." Vivian said smiling.

"Isn't it bad enough that the pictures were published in the first place? We can't just let it rest at that? Now we have to buy into this media attack on her every waking move?" The fire burning in Danny's eyes was unlike anything they had ever witnessed before. "I thought you were supposed to be fans of hers." He finished sharply before walking into the lounge.

Knowingly, Vivian looked over at Sam. "I think he still loves her." she whispered.

Sam nodded and said, "Yeah. I've never seen him act that way." She looked at the door to the staff lounge and continued, "It's kind of sweet actually."

Danny poured himself a cup of coffee that he didn't really want and then walked back to his desk. Sam, Vivian, and Martin were still surrounding his desk, but he managed not to look at them. "Sorry for snapping at you guys." He mumbled, setting his coffee down and turning back to face his computer. "I've just had to put up with a lot of crap this week and I don't really need it from you guys too, OK?"

"Well, you know they're only torturing you as payback for not telling them that you know Kassia James..." Martin began, but Sam cut him off.

"Know her?" She said, grinning. "You used to date her! You sat right there the other day and let us go on and on about her pictures and never once volunteered the information that you had taken them!"

"It was none of your business." Danny said, pulling up some files on his computer. "It's still none of your business."

"We know you like being a man of mystery, Danny, but come on! Being Kassia James' boyfriend is huge!" Samantha continued. "Any other guy would have been shouting it from the roof tops!"

"Danny's not just any other guy." Vivian said slyly.

Danny smirked and finally turned his face away from his computer screen. "Don't try to sweet talk me, Vivi-matic." He swivelled around in his chair and turned to face them. Taking a deep breath, Danny held his hands up in mock surrender. "OK," he finally said, "what do you want to know?"

Sam leaned forward like an eager child. "What's she like?"

"Now? That I'm not so sure about." Danny shrugged. "But back when I first met her, she was not anyone's idea of a Hollywood starlet. She was a third year acting student at NYU and bit player off Broadway. She had big dreams and the drive it took to make all of her dreams come true. She worked hard and played hard." Danny grinned. "That girl can dance. She loved to go dancing. She used to drag me out to the clubs with her girlfriends and they would dance for hours. She was always the center of attention, even when she wasn't famous. People just gravitated to her because she was always having such a good time. We were complete opposites...I was studious, always with my nose in a book and trying to get through law school and she was the life of every party. But something just clicked between us. We brought out the best in each other."

"How did you meet her?" Vivian asked, "I mean it sounds like you ran in completely different circles."

"We did, but we both liked to study on the lawn in Washington Square Park. It was the summer before my last year at law school when she came right up to me one day, sat down, and started talking. About an hour later, I had no idea how I had ever lived without her." Danny shook his head and said, "She was just as beautiful then as she is now. But it was a different kind of beautiful. I have seen her on billboards, magazines, newspapers, anywhere you can think of. She's everywhere. Always perfect hair, perfect make-up...flawless. Back when I knew her, she was a bit more natural. She lived in her old, faded jeans and my t-shirts, not the designer labels you see her in now."

"She's a celebrity now." Samantha said. "And a fashion icon. She's gotta look the part."

"I guess." Danny shrugged. "But I still picture her like she was, the way she looked in those photographs."

"She looked very much in love in those photos." Vivian said softly. "What happened between you two?"

"Hollywood." Danny said simply. "Hollywood figured out that she could act and began sending scripts her way. She flew out there and never once looked back."

"That seems harsh." Samantha said, studying Danny's face.

Danny shrugged. "Not really. I always knew that acting was her first love. I never doubted her talent or her drive, so when Spielberg called I knew that it was over for us. I mean, we tried to keep up the long distance thing for awhile. But I have a jealous streak and Kassia has a fiery temper. I got jealous of her co-stars and the time she was spending in L.A. and she got tired of it. So we walked away."

"But you've been following her career, haven't you?" Martin asked.

"Who hasn't?" Danny smirked. "I was really proud of her when she was nominated for an Academy Award. Hollywood can be ruthless and I knew she wanted to be seen as more than just the pretty face they were marketing her as. But I knew Kassia would damn well show up all her critics. And she did, don't you think? Winning an Oscar was the best 'middle finger' insult to all those people who doubted her."

"And now she's back in New York." Vivian said with a smile. "When all this dies down..."

Danny shook his head. "Nope. That was the past. Besides, she's seeing some cameraman now..."

"Peter Larson." Samantha supplied for him. "He was the cinematographer on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. That's where they met."

"She seems to have a thing for men with cameras." Martin joked. "I wonder how he feels about Danny's pictures."

"Who cares." Sam said, looking from Martin back to Danny. "The more important question is when are you going to introduce us to her?"


	7. Chapter 7

OK, here's a little background for this chapter...

Aside from being a WaT fan, I am also a HUGE **Lord of the Rings** fan! I started writing fics about the characters in LOTR, especially Aragorn and Eowyn. (_I always thought that they should have gotten together instead of Aragorn and Arwen._) Eowyn is my favorite character and so for the purposes of this fic, I am writing that Kassia played Eowyn instead of Miranda Otto. I also loved the characters of Merry and Pippen, which explains the appearance of Dominic Monaghan in this chapter.

I am trying something new...seperate stories for the two characters at first, with mentions of each other in each of their chapters. And then bringing Danny and Kassia together later. I hope it is working.

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Old Friends**

_Kassia James' downtown apartment_

Kassia slowly lowered her tired body into the hot, soapy water. She closed her eyes and leaned back against her bath pillows, allowing the soothing sound of Enya and the relaxing smell of her aroma therapy candles take over her senses. After a long day on set, this was the exact remedy for her frayed nerves. Her current co-star was none other than Brad Pitt. Brad had become a good friend, one who understood what it was like to be at the center of a media storm, and she found herself asking his advice on how to handle so many of the things happening in her life these days. They spent a lot of their down time laughing about how he was not the one the paparazzi was camping outside to see for a change and how much he enjoyed that.

Though she tried hard not to let any thoughts invade her relaxation time, she found her mind once again wandering back to another bathtub scene...much like the one she was in right now. But she hadn't been alone then. Danny had been nearby. He had wanted to take her picture in the bath. So they filled up her old fashioned tub with bubbles and she had climbed in. He had carefully arranged the bubbles around her, so that his photograph would showcase her naked form yet still leave the viewer wanting more. She had giggled at the focus in his eyes and then shivered with desire when his hand had brushed across her sensitive breasts. The intense look in his eyes was like something she had never experienced before and she felt so beautiful. He flashed his gorgeous smile at her when she blew soapy bubbles at him, and when he had gotten the exact shot he wanted, he stripped down and joined her in the tub.

Kassia smiled to herself as she thought of the lovemaking that had followed, but she was jogged back to reality by the shrill ringing of her telephone. Not wanting to move from her spot, she decided to let the machine get it. If it were her friends, they would wait until she called them back. If it were Peter...she didn't want to finish that thought. It wouldn't be Peter. He was on a plane headed back to the States. Every moment bringing them closer to the conversation she was dreading.

"Hello? If you are hiding out in your own home, my lady, rest assured that I am not a reporter. Only a mere actor who wants to say..." Kassia immediately recognized Dominic Monaghan's voice floating in from the answering machine in her bedroom, and she hurriedly grabbed the phone extension that had been installed in her bathroom.

"Dom? How are you?" Kassia said happily into the receiver.

"Screening your calls, are you now Kassia? Is that what happens when you leave L.A. behind for the bright lights of New York?" She could just see his mischievous grin as he teased her.

"Not at all. I always have time for the little people." she teased back, glad to hear his voice. "How are things in Hawaii?" Dom was shooting a second season of his ABC hit show LOST and the buzz surrounding it was already starting to make it's way around Hollywood. She was happy for him. It had been hard for him for awhile, watching the careers of Orlando, Elijah, Karl and herself flourish after _Lord of the Rings_ while his had come to a bit of a standstill. But she just knew this new series was going to be big for him.

"Oh, you know how it is. I'm on the beach filming with the beautiful people by day, breaking girls' hearts in the clubs by night, and surfing on my days off. It's quite tiring, actually." he said, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, sounds really rough." she returned.

"Well, I don't have a lot of down time. But during those rare times when I do, I've found some interesting reading material down here to browse through. Very nice pictures!"

She knew it. She moaned her surrender and leaned back in the bathtub.

"What was that sloshing noise?" he asked.

"I'm in the tub." she answered him, readjusting the phone so she wouldn't get it wet.

"Oooh, wait. I'm getting a good visual." He said, then continued slyly, "Now what am I talking about? I don't need to create a visual in my head. I've got a picture right here in front of me."

"Don't start, Dom." she mock pleaded with him.

"Actually, the photos are quite good. I always knew that Danny boy was quite talented, but these are really gorgeous. Although, I wish they didn't cover my favorite parts with a blur, but if they hadn't I probably wouldn't have been able to buy this trash in the local market." he continued, knowing full well that she was dying of embarrassment.

"Dominic!" she protested, prompting him to break out in laughter. Dom and Kassia had actually worked together before they were both cast in _Lord of the Rings_. They had been cast as brother and sister in an off Broadway production and struck up a close friendship. Danny and Dom, two of the most opposite men Kassia had ever known, had become friends as well.

Dom finished laughing, and his tone turned a bit more serious. "Are you ok, Kassia? You're not letting the nut-jobs in the press get to you, are you?"

She smiled at his concern and answered, "I did at first. It was just awful. But I'm getting used to it now."

"Hell of a thing to have to get used to." he sighed into the phone, hating that this had happened to her. " I'm sorry, Kassia."

"Not your fault, hon. Not by a long shot." She was glad for his friendship, especially now.

"I just want you to know that I am not an 'unnamed source' in any of those articles. They called me, knowing that you and I were friends in New York while you and Danny were together, but I didn't give them anything. In fact, I told them to shove it up their..."

"I know, Dom." she interrupted him, giggling. "I never believed for an instant that you had."

"I just wanted to make sure you know that I would never do that to you guys."

"I do." she smiled again. It was quite adorable that he was worried that she was angry with him.

"Yeah, I called Danny the other day and he said the same thing."

"You called Danny?" Kassia asked, more than a little suprised.

"He feels awful, Miranda." Dom's voice got quiet. "You should call him."

"Not yet, Dom." she confided in him. "I just can't."

"Why?" His question was innocent enough. But she wasn't sure she could give him the answer to make him understand. As it turned out, she didn't need to. Somehow, he already knew. "You're still not over him, are you?"

She couldn't believe he had seen through her. But since he was the one who opened the door, she figured that she could walk through it now. He would understand. "It wasn't easy, Dom. The way things ended between Danny and me. We didn't stop loving each other or get into a big fight and say things to hurt each other. I mean we did, but that wasn't what broke us up. We just decided that we couldn't risk ruining our friendship with the nonsense that comes with long distance relationships. Sometimes in life you have to let your better angels shout down what your heart really wants. We just decided to be grown ups."

"Being a grown up sucks, doesn't it? That's why I've decided not to be one, for as long as I can." she could hear his smile in his voice again.

"I think you make an excellent grown up, Dom. Better than some who have been doing it for a lot longer." She reassured him with a smile.

He was quiet for a minute, then said, "I like you and Danny together. I mean, it may be out of line for me to say that, but I really thought you were good together. It was real. And comfortable." Then he hurriedly said, "I know you're with Peter now and he's a great guy, too, but...I don't know. I just like the idea of you and Danny and happily ever after. Gives me hope, you know."

Kassia was surprised at the tears that came to her eyes at his heartfelt admission. "I know." she whispered. "I liked us together, too."

"Call him."

Neither of them said anything for a little while after that, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was that silence that falls between two people who understand each other and words are not necessary. Finally, Dom said, "I don't mean to rush you off the line, but I do have to go."

She realized that this call was probably getting expensive for him, too. "Thanks for calling, Dom. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Kassia. Let's promise to get together when I come back to New York."

"Absolutely. You have my number. And hey," she teased, "why don't you start sleeping with one of your co-stars and get me off the hook, huh? That's what a real friend would do."

He laughed. "Well, since I am a real friend I will start working on that right away! Anything I can do to help, that's my motto."


End file.
